IV

107TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION H. RES. 357

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the recognition of the authorities of Tibet who are currently exiled in Dharamsala,

India, as the legitimate representatives of Tibet.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

MARCH 5, 2002

Mr. ROTHMAN (for himself, Mr. PAYNE, Mr. WOLF, Mr. BROWN of Ohio, Ms.

CARSON of Indiana, Mrs. MINK of Hawaii, Mr. ROHRABACHER, Mr.

KUCINICH, Ms. MCCARTHY of Missouri, Ms. BALDWIN, Ms. ROSLEHTINEN, Mr. MCGOVERN, Mr. ABERCROMBIE, Mr. TOWNS, Ms.

PELOSI, Ms. RIVERS, Ms. KILPATRICK, Mr. HILLIARD, Mr. DIAZBALART, Mr. WYNN, Mr. PALLONE, Mr. DEFAZIO, Mr. DAVIS of Illinois,

Mr. EVANS, Ms. KAPTUR, Mr. HINCHEY, Mr. PASCRELL, Ms. ROYBALALLARD, Mr. TIERNEY, Mr. STARK, Mr. MENENDEZ, Ms. LEE, Ms.

SOLIS, Mrs. JONES of Ohio, Mr. CAPUANO, Mr. SHERMAN, Ms. MCCOLLUM, Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas, Mr. FRANK, Ms. WOOLSEY, Mr.

SANDERS, and Mr. WEXLER) submitted the following resolution; which

was referred to the Committee on International Relations

RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives regarding the recognition of the authorities of Tibet who are

currently exiled in Dharamsala, India, as the legitimate

representatives of Tibet.

Whereas for more than 1,000 years Tibet has maintained a

sovereign national identity that is distinct from the national identity of China;
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Whereas armed forces of the People’s Republic of China invaded and occupied Tibet in 1949 and 1950;

Whereas the Seventeen Point Agreement, which was signed

under duress by representatives of the Tibetan Government on May 23, 1951, guaranteed the political autonomy of Tibet;

Whereas the Lhasa Uprising against the People’s Republic of

China on March 10, 1959, led to the death and imprisonment of thousands of Tibetans and to the exile of the

Dalai Lama, Tibet’s spiritual and temporal leader;

Whereas in 1959, 1961, and 1965 the United Nations General Assembly passed resolutions expressing concern

about the situation in Tibet, one of which called for ‘‘the

cessation of practices which deprive the Tibetan people of

their fundamental human rights and freedoms, including

their right to self-determination’’;

Whereas the People’s Republic of China has failed to provide

Tibetans in Tibetan autonomous areas any genuine political autonomy;

Whereas in 1992 the People’s Republic of China designated

Tibet as a special economic zone for the express purpose

of encouraging Chinese resettlement in Tibet, which

would in time make Tibetans a minority in their own

homeland;

Whereas the People’s Republic of China appears unwilling to

negotiate a new agreement with Tibet that would guarantee genuine political autonomy to Tibetans;

Whereas the Dalai Lama has repeatedly endorsed a compromise that would guarantee Tibetans broad autonomy

within the People’s Republic of China;
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Whereas the authorities of Tibet who live in exile in

Dharamsala, India, administer all matters pertaining to

exiled Tibetans, including the preservation and development of Tibetan culture and education, and the struggle

to restore the freedom of Tibet; and

Whereas the exiled authorities of Tibet are organized according to modern democratic principles, which stands in

stark contrast to the autocratic rule presently exercised

over Tibet by the People’s Republic of China: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the House of Rep2 resentatives that the President should give serious consid3 eration to recognizing the authorities of Tibet who are cur4 rently exiled in Dharamsala, India, as the legitimate rep5 resentatives of Tibet, if such authorities and the Govern6 ment of the People’s Republic of China have not signed,

7 within 3 years of the date of the adoption of this resolu8 tion, an agreement that provides for the political auton9 omy of Tibet.

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